Gas-engine igniter.



- S. F. BRIGGS.

GAS ENGINE IGNITER APPLICA ION FILED PEB.4, 1909.

950,126. v Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

4 SHEETS-QUIET 1.

S. P. BRIGGS.

GAS ENGINE IGNITER.

APPLIGATION FILED FEBA, 1909.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

S. P. BRIGGS.

GAS ENGINE IGNITIBR.

APPLICATION FILED TERA, 1909.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

S. P. BRIGGS.

GAS ENGINE IGNITER.

APPLICATION FILED I334, I909.

Patentd Feb.22, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED 1 STATES accompanyingdrawings, .which are a part of thisspecification. I

This invention has for its object to provide an igniter-for gas enginesand the like of a construction which will be neat and compact, combiningthe induction coil and the timer and the distributor in a. singlemechanism which is simple and efficient its operaton, inexpensive toconstruct and easily" maintained in operative condition.

. 3 use of the battery Another object of the invention is to provide fora uniform period of contact of the .20

timer or interrupter in the primary circuit whateverthe speed of theengine may be, which period will be just suflicient for the purpose andthereby assure economy inthe current with a resulting increase in lifeof. the battery.

Another object is to-provide such an igniter with simple means foradvancing or I retarding the ignition.

' With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in theigniter for gas eng nes herein claimed, its parts and combinations ofparts and all equivalents.

. y y I desire/it to be understood that this invention is not limited toany specific-form or arrangement of parts except in so faras suchlimitations are specified in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in'whichlike characters ofreference indicate the. same parts in the dilferent views; F 're'l is anendelevation of an igniter em odying the principles of this inventionthe circuit connections being shown in diagram; 2 is a side elevationthereof;

F ig. 3 1s a sectional view thereof on the ,planeof line 3 3 of Fig. 1,circuit. connec tions being shown in diagram; Fig. 4 is a transversesectional view on the plane of line H of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a rearendelevation; 6 is'a detail plan view of the parts at the front end ofthe igniter; and, Fig. 7 is a-view' of said parts-looking outwardly fromthe casing with their casing connections in section on the plane of line7--7 of Fig. 2.

these drawings '13 indicates a cylin- Speeifieation of Letters Patent.'Patented Feb, A licati n filed February 4, 1909. Serial No. 475,957.

' drical casing,

PATENT. QFH' E smmmon, ormwauxnn; WISCONSIN, A cqranrniinsnre.

' sism man-Ea are pro erly insulated.- At the f ends or heads 0 thecylindrical casing 10 are bearlikewise be of metal with proper.insulation for conducting parts.' The trunnion 14 the trunnion 15 whichis journaled'in-the bushing 12,. each consists of a-dis k like platefirmly secured to the inner cylindrical casing l3i-andan outwardlyextending projecingfit in the hearing. The trunnion '15 is preferablyconnected with the cam shaft of the gas engine so'as to be driventhereby to cause the inner cylindrical casing to turn within the casing10 while the latter is held again stturning by an arm 16 secured to itsrear endand preferably connected with the spark advance mechanism on thesteering wheel. in the case of a motor vehicle.

Within theinner cylindrical casing 13 there is an induction coil,.theprimary windcQnnected respectively to the tri nnions l t and 15 whilethe secondary winding 20 has \i 5 one of its terminals 21 connected withthe terminal 19"o'f the primary coil and its other terminal 22 connectedwith a distributer swarms. BRIGGS, OF mwxmn, Wisconsin, assienon To mmor I which as here-shown is of in-- sulating material, but which may beofv metal when circuit carrying parts thereon ing bushings 11 and 12respectively in which. v are journaled the trunnions on the ends of aninner cylindrical casing 13, also shown to' be" of insulating materialthough it may tionwhich is turned down to have a work which is journaledin the bushingll, and

ing- 17 of,which has its terminals 18 and 19 'plate23 on the surface ofthe cylindrical casing 13. The plate 23 is provided with an turningmovements of the casing 13 passes close to the inner pointed ends of aseries of binding posts 25, 25 25 and 25 to connect therewith bymeans'of a jump spark at proper times. there being one of the bindingwithin'the inner cylindrical casing-13 and filled with sealing wax 26 orother suitable assist in holding the parts in place. At the front'end ofthe outer casing .10 is posts for each of the cylinders of the engineand in connection with the spark plug there of as will be laterdescribed. The space" surrounding the induction coil is preferably 0 Ioutwardly extending rib 24 which during the 1 insulating material whichwill harden and 105. provided a circiiit interrupter or timer ac-.tuated by the turning movements of themnercasing; A ratchet wheel 27is'loos'elg J mounted on the trunnion 14, just outside of the bushin 11and between stepped reducing shou ders of said trunnion, so as to becapable of freely turning thereon, while a four toothed cam 28 is keyedon the trun-' nion 1. next to the ratchet wheel 27 with' a set nut 29bearing thereagainst to hold it in place. A bell crank lever 30 with itstwo arms in difierent vertical planes, is pivotally mounted on a screwstud or post 31 on the end of casing 10 and carries a hook shaped do 32on one arm engaging the ratchet 27 and a spring actuated pawl 33 on itsother arm to engage the teeth of cam 28. The spring of pawl 33 normallyholdslit against a stop lug 34 on the arm of the bell crank lever towhich it is pivotally, mounted and a spring 35conne'cts the do 32 withthe casing 10 to serve the doube purpose of swinging said dog toward theratchet wheel and for swinging thebell crank lever 30 against a stop 36on casing 10. The turning of'thetrunnion 14 in the direction of thearrow in Fig. 1 causes the teeth of cam 28 to successively engage thepawl 33 and .cause it to swin I the bell crank lever 30 and advance'the0g 32 on the ratchet until the tooth of cam'28 passes out of engageiment with the pawl, when the spring 35 quickly returns the bell cranklever to its normal position against the stop 36 and in the ineantimefeeds the ratchet 27 the distance of one tooth by the'engagement of thedog 32 therewith, the direction of feed of the ratchet being opposite tothe direction of movement of the trunnion and the cam 28. The frontedges of the teeth of ratchet.

of a springjtongue switchniember 38 carried thereby moving intoengagement with an adjustable contact screw 39 on ablock 40 secured tothe casing 10. The hook 37 and its spring contact tongue 38 arepivotally mounted on the casing 10 by having the pivot block 41 by whichthey are-connected mounted on a pivot post 42 on said casing, therebeing a spring 43 connecting these pivoted parts to the casing to holdthe hook member against the teeth of the ratchet. A. wire 4-1 connectsthe pivot post 42 with the bushing 11 to include the normally disengagedcontact points of the spring 38 and the screw 39 in the primarycircuitof the induction coil.

In wiring the igniter of this invention the battery 45 has one terminalconnected with tion coil.

the'other terminal connected with the stationary contact block 10. Thespark plugs plosion for the cylinders, and the ground or casmgconnection 49 of the engine is;- :connec'ted to the binding post 46. Inoperation, the turning motion of the inner cylindrical casing,producedby its driving connection with the engine, causes the fourtoothed cam 28 to swing the bell crank lever 30 against the action ofits spring 35 and release the pawl 33' thereof at the exact time thatone .of the cylinders of the engine is in condition to-receive ignition.The release of the bell crank lever causes the dog 32 to quickly turnthe ratchet wheel 27 the distance of one tooth and thereby swing thehook member 37 by the cam action of a tooth of the said ratchet wheeland momentarily bring the contacts of spring tongue 38 and screw 39 intoengagement to complete the primary circuit of the induc- The primarycircuit may be traced from the battery 45 to the binding post 416 on arm16, and through the bushing 12 and the trunnion 15 to the terminal 19 ofthe primary winding of the induction coil, and through said primarywinding and by way of its other terminal 18 to the trunnion 14, and fromthe bushing 11 in engagement therewith through wire -14 and the pivotpost 42 for the movable member of the interrupter, and through theengaged contacts of tery 45.

As the circuit is only closed during the brief interval that a tooth ofratchet 27 passes by the hook 37 the switch action is very rapid and isalways uniform, bein independent of the turning movement 0 the theinterrupter back to the primary'battrunnion after the bell crankisreleased.

This quick make and break of the primary circuit induces a current ofhigh otential in the spark plug 48 ignites the charge in that cylinderof the engine, and as the connections with the binding posts 25 are madewith the spark plugs of the different cylinders with respect to theorder of their explosion,'the binding post through which the circuit ismade by the distributer plate 23 being close thereto is alwaysthe one inconnection with the cylinder-which is in condition to re induced currentis ceiye-the'esplosion, and the ;position of; the iently made so as tosimplify the construccam 28 on the trunnion 1% is so fixed thatthe sentat the exact time that the ignitionis required.

In order that the spark maybe advanced or retarded according tothe wishof the operator, the outer cas1ng10 is shifted in-its position on;the'trunnions bymeans of the arm 16. ;By shifting the positionof the casing 10 in a clockwise direction, when viewed as in Fig. 1, the ignitionin the various cylinders "of the engine will beuniformly-rcftarded,whereas by shifting the position of thecasing in the opposite directionthe ignition is advanced, To permit offthis adjustment in the timingofthe'ignition without varyingthe distance of the varc gapbetween thedistributer" plate 23 and the bindposts 25 provided will depend upon theing posts 25 said distributer plate. is provided with theraised rib 24,which as seen in Fig. at, will remain close to one, of the binding poststhrough an anglezof movement. of the inner casing which will be ample toinclude the turning movements of the outer casing.

The object in pivotally mount' the pawl 33 to thebe-ll crank 30 is toenable it to avoid the teeth of the cam 28 in event of the parts turningin the wrong direction.

It. is obvious that the number of-binding number of cylinders of theengine with gine, and likewise'the number of teeth. on the cam 28 willcorrespond with thenumber Y of cylindersto the engine. Itis also obvious-tha-t- .it is immaterial where the binding posts 25 are located forthey may be at-any convenient placeon the casing 10, the end of i thecasing being. suitable for the purpose if preferred. {It .is furtherobvious that a K sweeping contact may be made between the between thedistributer plate 23 and the binding'posts if desired, insteadofdividing the arc gap spark plugs and the binding posts.

' I Byformingthe induction coil on the movable part within the outer"casing the 0011- A feature of merit in the present invention is thefactthat whatever the speed of the engine maybe the period of contact madeby the circuit interrupter remains the "same, that period being of. theshortest duration under which the desired results may-be attained. Thisperiod depends upon. the length of the outer ends of the teeth of theratchet '27 and the speed withwhich said .ratchet is moved by the jdog320i the bell crank '30. If this period is desired to be shortened orlengthened it may be done by substituting a ratchet wheel of a greateror a less number ofteethforthe one shown.

struction may be made very compact and the electrical connections may beconvene I l l i tion and render it less expensive to construct and moreeflicient and durable in use. What I claim as my invention is: 1 Anigniter for gas engines, comprising an engine driven member, a camcarried thereby, a spring retracted switch actuating return movement ofthe switch actuating member, and an induction coil with its primarycircuit including the switch and it= secondary circuit including thespark plug of the englne. I

2. An igniter for gas engines, comprising an engine driven member, a camcarried thereby, a sprlng retracted bell crank having a pivoted pawl onone arm and a pivoted dog on the other arm, the pivoted pawl standing inthe path of the cam to 'be en.-

gaged thereby for moving the bell crank out .of its normal position, aratchet wheel en-.

gaged and turnedby the dog on the return movement of the bell crank, aswitch having I a spring retracted pivoted member engaging theteeth ofthe ratchet, and an induction coil with its primary circuit includingthe switch and its secondary circuit including the spark plug of theengine. 3. An igniter for gas engines,comprisingan engine driven member,a cam carried there- 'y, a spring retracted bell crank having a pivotedpawl onone arm and a pivoted dog on the other arm, the pivoted pawl;standing in the path of the cam to be engaged thereby for moving thebell crank out of its normalposition, a ratchet wheel loosely mountedonthe engine driven member and engaged and turned by the dog on the returnmovementpf the bell crank, a switch having a spring retracted pivotedmember with a. hook engaging the teeth of the ratchet to be swungthereby and a. contact tongue to engage a stationary member'of theswitch, and an induction coilwith its primary circuit including theswitch and its secondary circuit including the spark;

plug of the engine. V

An igniter for multiple cylinder gas ,engines, comprising a casing, aninduct1on coil rotatably .mounted in the casing and having drivingconnection with the engine, 'a, circuit interrupter for the' primarycircuit of the induct-ion coil actuated by the movements of theinduction'coil, cylinder terminals on the casing for connection with thespark plugs of the several-cylinders of the engine, and a distributingterminal carried by the induction coil for the secondary circuit thereofadapted to'establish connection cylinder terminals on thecasing.

, the spark plugs of the several cylinders of a I v distributingterminal carried by the induc- 5. An igniter for multiple cylinder gasengines, comprising a casing, an induction c011 rotatably mounted in thecasing and having driving connection with the engo'ne,

a circuit interrupter for the primary cir-. cult of the induction collactuated by the movements of the induction coil, cylinder terminals onthe casing for connection with the engine, and a distributing terminalcarried by the induction coil in connection with the secondary windingthereof adapted to travel close to the cylinder terminals to establishconnection therewithby means of a jump spark.

6, An igniter for gines, comprising an induction coil, insu latedtrunnions on which the induction coil is mounted, a casing, insulatedbushings on the casing in which the trunnions are journaled forrotatablymounting the induction coil in the casing and formingelectrical connections for said trunnions, one end of the primarywinding of the induction coil being connected to -,one trunnion and theJ other end of the primary winding and one end of the secondary windingbeing-connected to the other trunnion, an insulated tion coil and,connectedwith the other end of the secondary winding oi the inductioncoil, one of the trunn'ions'being adapted for driving connection, withthe' engine, a circuit interrupter for the primary circuit actuated bythe movements of one of the trun nions and having electrical connectionwith the bushing thereof, insulated cylinder terminals onthe casingclose to the path of the distributing terminal for connection with thespark plugsof the several cylinders of the engine whlch are also inconnection with one of the bushings, and a battery multiple cylinder 7ent I i i l I connected to the circuit interrupter and to the lastmentioned bushin 7. An ignitenfor multlple cylinder gas engines,comprising a caslng, an inner casing contained therein, an inductioncoil in the inner casing, insulated trunnions on which the inner casingis mounted, insulated bushings on the outer casing in which thetrunnions are journaled for rotatably mounting the inner casing andforming electrical connections for said trunnions, one end of theprimary winding of the induction coil being connected to one trunnionand the other end of the primary winding and one end of the secondarywinding being connected to the other trunnion, an insulated distributingterminal comprising a plate with a projecting flange carried by theinner casing and "connected with the other end of the secondary windingof the induction coil, one of the trunnions being adapted for drivingconnectionwith the engine, a circuit interrupter for the primary circuitactuated by the movements of the other trunnion and having electricalconnection with the bushing thereof, insulated cylinder terminals on thecasing close to the path of the flange of the distributing ternnnal forconnection with the spark "plugs of the several cylinders of the enginewhich are also in connection with the bushing of the driving trunnion, abattery connected to the circuit interrupter and the bushing of thedriving trunnion respectively, and means for rocking the outer casing onthe trunnions for advancing or retarding the ignition.

In testimony whereof, I atfix my signature, in presence'of twowitnesses.

STEPHEN F. BRIGGS.

-Witncsses:

R. S. C. CALDWELL, ,ALfMA A. KLUG.

